I'm thinking about buying either a Nook or a Kindle for Christmas. I am not very technology savvy and just want the device for reading purposes. With that being said, what route would you go? All opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I bought a Nook Color last May and chose it over the Kindle for 2 reasons: 1) ability to borrow library books and 2) Internet access. Now, however, you are able to do both of those things with the newest Kindles. I have been dismayed to see the volume of low-cost or free books available through Amazon for the Kindle that are not available via B&N for the Nook, so I do have some buyer's remorse. There are some people who are opposed to Kindles, however, because of Amazon's proprietary format.

Another alleged benefit of the Nook over the Kindle was supposed to be the availability of technical support in B&N bookstores. I have found the quality of the support to be pretty spotty, though.

If I had to do it again, I think I would get a Kindle. However, I do enjoy my Nook and have no major complaints about it.

I have the 1stEd Nook and I love it. I'd been tempted to upgrade though to the Nook Touch but my bezel cracked 11 1/2 months into warranty on my refurb a couple of weeks ago and B&N sent me a new replacement in 2 days so I'll probably wait until the 3rd edition. Or maybe I'll sell it on Ebay for more than I paid for it and buy a Touch that costs less. The new Touch doesn't play audio or have 3G but I've found I've only used my nook for audio once (I prefer using my mp3 player) and 3G really isn't necessary for me.

If you live or work near a B&N there's also the fun feature of being able to read any e-book available for one hour a day in store.

Most of The Kindles play audio files but I don't think the cheapest no frills (non touch and non keyboard) one does. The Kindle Touch doesn't have any side turn buttons and the Kindle Keyboard isn't Touch. There are also different prices because of the Ad supported versions with - some actually buying the lower cost versions because and not in spite of for the ads. But without they're $30-40 more.

Amazon reportedly is very easy to get refunds from with poorly formatted or wrongly purchased e-books. But I've never returned an e-book to either.

As for Free and discounted books I've found that Amazon and B&N share about 80% of the deals with one having deals the other doesn't have about 20% of the time. I have over 200 free books from B&N from the last year and the few I wanted that weren't available I downloaded from Amazon to my free PC ap. Nook in addition to its credit card based DRM scheme (easily the most flexible and open scheme) also reads Adobe DRM formats from Sony and Kobo so freebies and deals from those stores can be side loaded onto the Nook.

Susan, wondering if you've ever thought about rooting your Nook (supposedly quick and painless now and done by sd card so it doesn't affect the nooks operating system or warranty) and adding the Kindle app to it. You'd have access to both storefronts then._________________"My safe word is monkey"

Hi Jennifer, I think what it comes down to mostly is who do plan to by your books from?

I have a Kindle (2nd gen) and a Kindle Fire (which I LOVE) and I use the Kindle app on my ipad and iphone. I love having all of my books on all of the devices so no matter which I pick up all my books are available and it knows what page I left off at even if I start on my Kindle and pick up again on my iphone.

From what I have read the basic Kindle and Nook devices have pretty comparable features when you compare apples to apples.

I have been a long time customer of Amazon and find that their customer service simply cannot be beat. When I had a problem with my first Kindle they overnighted a new one to me before I had even returned the other one. One time I needed a tech call I had a call back from them in under a minute. No waiting and a super helpful person.

I have returned goods bought from them completely hassle free (but not ebooks) and one time I received an email from them offering a revised version of an ebook I had bought with corrections made in it. I hadn't even asked for it and I just clicked once or twice and the swap was made. I also have Amazon prime and use it all the time.

I did not have good online customer experiences years ago with Barnes and Noble but have not bought online from them in some time.

Barnes and Noble has the advantage of in store help if you need it and I have heard many people with Nooks like this. I do 99.9% of my book buying and most other buying online so this is not a draw for me. With Amazon I do everything I need from home which I prefer. If you are someone who prefers to go to brick and mortar stores the Nook has offered coupons etc I believe also. Amazon has models that offer deals on the screen saver only (not in the books) and some people rave about them.

Both Nook and Kindle allow library book borrowing. Amazon has the biggest selection of books and is starting to sign it's own authors (like Connie Brockway.)

The new Kindle Fire is so open I have Overdrive and Aldiko programs on mine without having to do anything to it so I can read Kindle books and epub on the same device (as well as movies, music, email etc.) I have heard people even put the Nook app on it as well. It seems like you are interested in a basic Nook or Kindle however which is more limited but does just what you want it for- reading ebooks.

From what I have heard 99% of the people who buy Nook or Kindle love the one they buy. I have heard very few instances of people really hating either of them so I don't think you can go wrong.

Again, I think your decision is going to come down to who do you want to buy your books from?

I got the Nook color last year and have loved it. I'm not an expert but I think you won't go wrong with either it or the Kindle Fire. The Fire is at a really great price now at 199 so if I had to choose again, I might get it. It's true what someone said above about how usually B&N and Amazon have similar deals.. thats what I've seen.

I've borrowed books from the library on mine and its been nice. My only complaint is my library doesn't have tons of romance novels but I sent them an email and they asked what i wanted and they got them. I was shocked at that.

I'm really tempted to get an Amazon Fire or wonder if I should just bite the bullet and get an ipad. I wish those would come down in price.

I have both a regular Kindle and a Fire and I love them both. I prefer reading on the regular Kindle because it is lighter and I find the eInk is less strain on my eyes. I also use the Kindle app on my Droid phone and my laptop. It really is very convenient. Are the prices still comparable after Kindle's dropped?_________________Justin managed to look superior and bored and disbelieving all at once. No mean feat for a man who'd just fallen from a tree.

I'm really tempted to get an Amazon Fire or wonder if I should just bite the bullet and get an ipad. I wish those would come down in price.

The iPad 3 is reportedly coming out next Spring and when it does #2 will drop significantly in price before it's discontinued just as #1 was. Of course then #3 will look more enticing. There other largel size tablets out there now coming down in price and cheaper than the iPad. Acer, Xoom, Samsung Toshiba, etc. The Asus Transformer with optional keyboard looks particularly cool.

I'm lusting after the new Nook Tablet and almost bit the bullet with the recent Cyber Monday deal on them (would have cost just $200) but I really don't need a tablet. I'm rarely away from a desktop or laptop and I prefer reading on my e-ink reader. Still...

Quote:

Are the prices still comparable after Kindle's dropped?

The Nook Touch is the only non Ad supported e-reader under $100 from any of the big four (B&N, Amazon, Sony, Kobo). It sells for $99 and on Black Friday it was selling for $79. Kobo has dropped their price to $99 with Ads ($129 no ads) to match the Kindle Touch with ads ($139 no ads). Kindle also has to no fills reader for $79 with ads ($109 w/o). Sony I think is now $129 now w/o ads._________________"My safe word is monkey"

Last edited by PWNN on Wed Nov 30, 2011 3:48 pm; edited 1 time in total

My tale is exactly the opposite of ChrisReader: I had a really rotten experience with Amazon's customer service department several years ago, and have rarely bought anything from them since. When e-readers appeared and it was NOOK vs. Kindle, I had no doubt which one I would buy!

I have a first-generation NOOK which has behaved very nicely; the only problem I have is downloading updates. For that, I go to my neighborhood B&N store, which has wi-fi and very helpful staff (and a lot of space in the store devoted to the different incarnations of NOOK, including the new NOOK tablet).

It's interesting that the NOOK tablet costs the same amount as what I paid for NOOK I--of course, that happens with any technology! Actually, for my next step into e-reading, I think I might get an iPad. Yes, it's a lot more expensive than either the Kindle Fire or the NOOK tablet, but it also does a lot more!_________________"Have fun storming the castle"--Miracle Max in "The Princess Bride"

The iPad 3 is reportedly coming out next Spring and when it does #2 will drop significantly in price before it's discontinued just as #1 was. Of course then #3 will look more enticing.

In that case I'll wait. It's definitely more of a want than a need. I've never had a laptop that hasn't been hooked to a desk. I wonder what it would be like or how much I would use one in bed which for some reason, sounds ideal.

for my next step into e-reading, I think I might get an iPad. Yes, it's a lot more expensive than either the Kindle Fire or the NOOK tablet, but it also does a lot more!

I read a review of the Kindle Fire, I think its on Amazon's site and someone said, as nice as the Kindle Fire is, its still not an ipad. I wonder about the other tablets similar to the ipad. For the longest time reviewers were saying they were sub par but sales seem to be zooming up .. a lot based on price (the HP for example).

It depends on what you want from a tablet. Do you need the size? Do you read a lot of PDFs with large graphics or need the bigger size for magazines? Are you using it for work and document creation as opposed to just consumption like surfing the net, playing videos, reading and sending e-mail?

The OS of the iPad and the easy integration into Apples services etc seems more polished than others which gives it a leg up even if it has lesser technical specs in terms of screen, ram, outputs and memory. But Android's new Ice Cream Sandwich OS is supposed to be fantastic and many of the new android tablets will be using it next year. I prefer higher specs and less of a curated environment which is why I'd choose an Android tablet like Asus if I was to choose. All in all though the best tablets still aren't as powerful or versatile as a netbook which now cost the same or less - let alone a laptop or desktop.

The Kindle Fire would be a pass for me because the internal memory is too small and it's not expandable with sd cards. The "cloud" does not thrill me - not the content streaming restrictions and the need to be connected to the wifi all the time with attendant speed and bandwidth issues. I also don't like all my content coming from one place. I like to shop around. _________________"My safe word is monkey"

I try every new version of Nook and Kindle that comes out and the Nook has won every time.

My latest disappointment with the Kindle Touch is that it's not as comfortable to hold (the Nook has a rubberized back) and it does not show your book covers in your library, I don't know why they will not add that feature.

I also recently tried the Kindle Fire but it went back as well, it was often slow to respond and I didn't like the way the scroll through on the home page mixed all my stuff up, the homepage showing of the last website I visited, my videoes and books all mixed in. It was not well organized, imho.

So now I've got the Nook Tabled on order and we'll see. CNET did recently review them both and the Nook Tablet came out ahead -

As much as I love shopping at Amazon I just haven't loved their Kindles.

Linda

ETA: For reading I only use the eink on the Nook Simple Touch, I don't care to read on the color screens or tablets._________________"The Bookshop has a thousand books, all colors, hues and tinges, and every cover is a door that turns on magic hinges." ~ Nancy Byrd Turner

I think both the Nook and the Kindle are both quality machines; each has plusses and minuses depending on your point of view. You can find a lot of web sources that compare the 2 e-readers side-by-side. While they have some features in common, there are differences. My advice is to decide what you want to use it for and what features best match what you want to do. I don't think you could go wrong with either one.

Personally, I have had a Kindle since its release over 3 years ago. I currently have a Kindle 3 (now the Kindle Keyboard) and just received my Fire, which I love. Although I am an Apple fan girl from way back and own an iMac, I just couldn't justify the expense of an iPad for what I wanted to do. That is the key for me. For my intended use, the Fire is just the ticket at a great price. It is not an iPad and was never meant to be one. I have always been an Amazon shopper and have been very pleased with selection and customer service which I think is outstanding overall.

I love my Kindle. The device is sturdy and dainty at the same time and easy even for non techies to operate. Amazon Kindle customer support has been great for me (I have been an amazon.com customer for years and have only had positive experiences with their customer service). Amazon also offers lots of e-book deals every day like free books, $1.99 and $2.99 bargains, etc. The Kindle is also easy to side-load with non Kindle formats with programs like calibre.

My friend bought a Nook and has had nothing but problems with downloading from B&N and their tech support sucks. Plus the B&N e-books are generally more expensive than what amazon.com offers.